PENGUINS IN NEW ZEALAND

THIS PAGE Penguins in New Zealand (NZ)

We are grateful to Christopher Holland for sending us some images of New Zealand Penguin book covers. This has inspired the creation of a separate page entry for early Penguin books printed in New Zealand.

This subject was originally commented on by Laurrie Jagger in PCS Newsletter 28 (May 1987) and further expanded by Annette Whitford in PCS Newsletter 36 (June 1991).

To avoid transporting books across the seas at a time of war, when convoys were attacked and merchant ships sunk, some Penguin books were printed abroad, such as those in Australia. This also had the advantage of avoiding the paper rationing imposed in the UK. The books which survive seem to point to publishing between 1941 and 1945. It was only much later, in 1973, that Penguin Books Ltd. opened a New Zealand Office in Auckland. During the war, Penguin used 4 firms of printers and those war-time books also carried advertisements.

The books are listed, as best as can be discerned from the information currently available, in chronological order of printing in New Zealand. Although the book numbers were the equivalent of those used for the UK Penguin series, only some of them are displayed on the spine, and indeed only some of the books carry the 'penguin' colophon on the spine. The books were slightly larger (at 183mm x 125mm) than the standard Penguin Book of the time.

First Published by Penguin in UK: 18 June 1937

NZ-152

First Published by Penguin in UK: 26 August 1938

Annette Whitford lists this book as printed by the National Printing Coy Ltd, Auckland. The version held and catalogued by the National Library of New Zealand is a 'Forces Book Club' edition, printed by Wilson and Horton Ltd, Herald Printing Works, Auckland.

First Published by Penguin in UK: 29 July 1936

NZ-407

First Published by Penguin in UK: April 1943 [printed date: October 1942]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: penguinfirsteditions.com gratefully acknowledges the kind permission of PENGUIN BOOKS LTD. (UK) to reproduce its book covers and, where incorporated, its various logos. We would remind users of this site that, as appropriate, Penguin Books Ltd. and its designers retain their copyright and/or intellectual property in the relevant material.